Serious Wednesday: Creating Tension

If you're writing suspense, 

you need to know some things 

about creating suspense. 

Remember:

• When you begin any suspenseful section, don't begin with talking about the weather. Now, having said this, if you're using the weather to INCREASE or SET the mood or as PART of the suspense, then, by all means, keep going.  Example:  It was a dark and stormy night (overdone) but  The lightning streak struck the fence post, not twenty feet from where I was standing.  Better. Why is this important? The reader will find out much later in the book...
• Definitely draw your reader's attention to a matter of importance. It can be something so simple it seems to matter LITTLE at the reading but is vitally important. It could point to something significant that will reveal the meaning later in the story. But do capture your reader's attention. Example:   The rhinestones on her shoes sparkled with flirtatious gaiety. Is there something about those shoes that will help solve the problem?
• Short, direct sentences and sometimes with repeated words, will bring a briskness, an urgency that something vitally important is happening or will happen. Don't overdo them, but use them wisely and carefully for a great start to any suspenseful scene.  Example:  Tyrell hurried to Bette and gripped her arms. "What do you mean? Tell me quick."  This short paragraph immediately lets the reader know Tyrell is worried, upset, or afraid. It captures attention and shows urgency.
• If you must use backstory, leave it for later in the book and use it sparingly. Work to make the backstory such a part of the story that the reader moves seamlessly through the story and not hesitate for even a second.  Example:  Her mind flipped backward, backward to his confession that tore her heart from her chest. "I don't love you anymore. I'm leaving you. Today. Now. Goodbye." She rocked, clinching her arms around her legs, and wished she could douse her member in some kind of forgetful fluid. Tense. Heartwrenching. Backstory woven into the present that grips the reader and keeps them turning pages.
• And finally, learn from the best. Never stop learning. Never stop reading. Never stop striving to make your writing the best. Don't take short cuts. Learn, and it will show in your books!

HAPPY WRITING!